The invention relates to a decoratively covered blind structure. The blind structure can, for example, be either a valance employed across the top of a window blind or a slat member, typically a vertical slat member, of a window blind.
For aesthetic, functional, and comfort reasons it is sometimes desirable to cover a valance with a fabric type of material which either matches or is complimentary to the blinds of the window covering. Similarly, vertical slats of a vertical window blind construction are covered with a fabric like material. In either case, a presently accepted arrangement for effecting this result is to construct the valance or the vertical slat with grooves along its edge. These grooves are used to hold the fabric or fabric like material, which is slid into the valance or vertical slat and retained along its edges by the grooves. With this type of construction the grooves, which are formed by bending over the edges of the valance or slat, remain exposed.
Where the underlining structure of the valance or blind is opaque, the bent over edges usually produce an exposed strip of color which is contrasting with the fabric material attached to the valance or slat. To avoid this contrasting color, valances and vertical slats today are typically formed with transparent bent over edges for forming the grooves. This is done by co-extruding the valance or slat from plastic material with the major portion of the structure being formed from opaque material and just the bent over edges from clear plastic material. Constructions of this type still, however, result in visible exposed edges; and where the fabric material is a soft, non-shiny material, these edges are in contrast.